rhandik Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 So I've admired all the videos I've seen over the years and I've been to see TSO coming up on 7 times so I was so excited to finally be able to have my own display. This is my first year with LOR and any Christmas Decorations period so a big step up and only a few disgruntled neighbors. Anyone have any advice or anything?A few things I've learned/noticed or questions:1:Seems like most people have 32channels or like 300 channels so big jump into the 'big leagues'2:When making sequences copy/paste is your best friend since every song has patterns3:Using patterns from other songs makes things easy as long as they have the same beat/tempo4:Everyone will ask you how you did it and sometimes it gets old trying to explain it after the 1000th time5:It will cost you more than you expect but everything is reusable if you pack it back up nicely6: Do most people leave the sequence running but w/o sound most of the time?7:Is there any 'easy' way to make a sequence that is more like an equalizer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CooBeans Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 I like it!! Although if you are in the market for constructive criticism, I would make the "merry Christmas" letters more noticeable I.e. have them all on at same time, or something like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbirdruss Posted December 15, 2011 Share Posted December 15, 2011 rhandik wrote:So I've admired all the videos I've seen over the years and I've been to see TSO coming up on 7 times so I was so excited to finally be able to have my own display. This is my first year with LOR and any Christmas Decorations period so a big step up and only a few disgruntled neighbors. Anyone have any advice or anything?A few things I've learned/noticed or questions:1:Seems like most people have 32channels or like 300 channels so big jump into the 'big leagues'2:When making sequences copy/paste is your best friend since every song has patterns3:Using patterns from other songs makes things easy as long as they have the same beat/tempo4:Everyone will ask you how you did it and sometimes it gets old trying to explain it after the 1000th time5:It will cost you more than you expect but everything is reusable if you pack it back up nicely6: Do most people leave the sequence running but w/o sound most of the time?7:Is there any 'easy' way to make a sequence that is more like an equalizer?Your comments and questions are very inciteful. I'll give you my 2 cents:1.I jumped from 16 to 96 because I wanted each element to be able to be any of 4 colors. Also lets me "wash" the entire display in one color for effect.2.Copy paste is a fantastic tool. Usually sequence my mini-trees first so I get all the timing down first, then move to the other elements by copy/past the minitree's.3.I have a few effects that I use in each sequence but generally program all chases seperately as it is hard to synchronize different songs.4.People are generally amazed at anything new. Find a good 15 second pitch like: I have 20,000 lights and 2000' of extension cords all connected to a computer inside. It takes me about 2 hours per minute of music to program.5.The hardest part is packing it up in a way that you can remeber where everything goes. This year I am going to try leaving extension cords connected to my controllers and am taking pictures of controller locations. Yes, it costs a lot of money. Just remeber it is a marathon not a sprint. I try to add 1 or 2 new musical sequences each year and 1 or 2 new elements.6.I only turn on my external speakers Friday and Saturday Nights. I am trying to keep from annoying my neighbors with the same 5 songs over and over.7.I think S3 Advanced includes "AutoSequencing" but I have yet to mess with it.I love this hobby mostly because of the joy and wonder I see on the faces of the people watching the show. It makes me feel good to think I have brought just a little entertainment and spread the joy of Christmas.Welcome to the madness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dknahoolewa Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Redburdruss hit the nail on the head.I will be going form 32 to 96 next year. It looks like most people get the hang of it with 32 and then realize all the crazy things you can do. Your pocket book really is the limit to what you can do. Telling people about your show never gets old but I'm now to the point I give everyone the same 3 sentence speech.I really like the Merry Christmas on the house. I think I might do something similar. I saw a video somewhere that used 3 channels for it and did the (merry, christ, mas) as the channels. using each letter as a channel eats up alot of channels.good luck...Hope the wife and the pocket book dont slow you down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhandik Posted December 16, 2011 Author Share Posted December 16, 2011 only having 1 controller and Merry Christmas being 14 letters eats up a lot of my potential until I get another controller or two then I can do all the 'typical' christmas trees and pillar lights and so forth. I already have some ideas for next year so its kind of weird to be excited for a year from now.Follow up questions: Does anyone setup a 'mock' display they hook up to controllers with just back light bulbs to visualize the sequences they make between years or try to use the visualizer program which I haven't had a chance to dive into yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redbirdruss Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I thought about creating a mock display for testing but once I got to 96 channels, I decided to punt. I also tried setting up the vizualizer this year but got frustrated and gave up. I have limited time so I visualize in my head, create the sequence and then spend the first few days recording the show and tweaking it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts